Cupar antiques dealer set to defend court action

Liz Rougvie

A former Cupar antiques dealer at the centre of a dispute over missing valuables has said he intends to defend himself in court.

Kenneth Robb, former proprietor of Kingdom Antiques in Bonnygate, told the Fife Herald this week that he plans to attend Dundee Sheriff Court on Wednesday, August 26, to defend a civil action being pursued by Buckhaven man Bill Jones.

Mr Jones is suing Mr Robb for the cost of items he says he left for him to sell back in 2007, plus court expenses.

He says that the items, which belonged to his late parents, were worth £1691, but he hasn’t seen them since.

When the case first called earlier this year, Mr Jones was told he’d won as Mr Robb didn’t turn up - but it was then discovered that a court blunder had resulted in the summons being sent to the wrong man, so the case called again.

This time Mr Jones was unavoidably a few minutes late, and because Mr Robb didn’t appear either, the case was dismissed.

However, the following day a minute of recall was granted.

After we carried the story, several other people have come forward to say that they too left items with Mr Robb to sell that have since disappeared.

Now Mr Robb says he has appointed a solicitor and is preparing to state his case at Wednesday’s hearing .

He told the Fife Herald that he had been staying with friends in Edinburgh and had not been aware of the case.

In 2011, Mr Robb spearheaded an ill-fated attempt to establish an antiques centre in Front Lebanon, Cupar, which, it was hoped, would bring up to 80 new jobs to the area. The venture was supported by Cupar Community Council but opposed by some residents amid concerns about increased traffic. At the time, Mr Robb predicted that the centre would regenerate the town, but he parted company with the rest of the consortium behind the plans and claims he was locked out of the premises. Mr Robb says that many items - including some valuable Russian art - had been moved there from his shop and have since disappeared.